NEW DELHI, India: The election of the ninth vice president of India will be held on September 7, the Chief Election Commissioner announced on Saturday.
The post of the vice president had fallen vacant after Mr. Venkataraman was elected President.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr. R.V.S. Peri Sastry, announced that the last date for filing nominations would be August 18 and for withdrawals August 21. The Commission would officially notify the election on August 4, he said.
Under Article 66 of the Constitution, the vice president is to be elected by members of an electoral college consisting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, including nominated members. The total number who can exercise their vote this year is 790 and the value of each vote is 1.
In the past, two vice-presidents have been elected unopposed — Mr. S. Radhakrishnan in 1952 and 1957, and Mr. M. Hidayatullah in 1979.
Asked when the Commission intended to hold the by election to the Allahabad seat, which has fallen vacant with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan’s resignation, he replied that the UP chief electoral officer’s view had been sought on the subject.
By elections could not be held in Sasaram and Baghpat, because of election petitions pending in the courts, he said. Similarly, election could not be held at present in Pali, he said, because of the drought conditions in Rajasthan. As for the new Daman and Diu Lok Sabha seat, Mr. Sastry said officials there have been asked to send a programme for holding the poll.
PTI adds: Mr. Sastry also said that the polling for the vice president’s office would be held on September 7 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in Room no. 63 of the Parliament House.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 21, 1987
